Archive for the 'Nicolas Kerdiles' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

ANAHEIM -- Stefan Noesen, Nic Kerdiles and Max Friberg are all back in Virginia now preparing for an American Hockey League season with the Norfolk Admirals.

It doesn't mean they'll stay there the entire time.

The Ducks used 30 skaters in 2013-14, 19 of whom were forwards. Injuries and disenchantment with some players invariably occur over an 82-game season and it means there will be call-ups from the minors.

Noesen, Kerdiles and Friberg are solid-to-strong prospects in the organization and all figure to play a lot with the Admirals. It could happen where at least one of the three is summoned by the Ducks.

ANAHEIM – With three quick flicks of his wrist, Nic Kerdiles had the capacity crowds at Anaheim Ice cheering those moments and salivating about the future.

Mind you, Kerdiles wasn’t snapping shots by Jonathan Quick or Antti Niemi or Ryan Miller. The goalies weren’t even John Gibson and Frederik Andersen, the two who should man the net for the Ducks in 2014-15.

These were two intrasquad scrimmages during the club’s development camp last month. But the “goal scorer’s goals” as NHL coaches often refer to only whetted the appetites of those monitoring the talented Ducks prospect, whose arrival might be sooner than you think.

The feeling with the organization is that Kerdiles is quickly moving up the ladder despite scant experience as a pro.

EDMONTON, Alberta – This is the signing season in the NHL for collegians and junior players and the Ducks have taken care of their biggest one yet for 2014.

The Ducks inked Wisconsin standout Nic Kerdiles on Saturday to a three-year entry level contract that will begin next season. The deal is worth $832,500 if he is in the NHL in each of those years and $70,000 when he is in the American Hockey League.

Kerdiles leaves Wisconsin after a sophomore season in which he finished second on the Badgers in goals (15) and points (38) despite missing nine of their 37 games. The Ducks took the winger in the second round of the 2012 draft, the 36th selection overall.

Kerdiles was born in Texas but grew up in Irvine and spent many days playing at Anaheim Ice, the Ducks’ practice facility. He is the first player raised in Orange County to have been drafted by the Ducks.

The Irvine resident and second-round pick of the Ducks in this year's draft was originally suspended for his freshman season by the NCAA after receiving an improper benefit from a hockey agent. An appeal by the school on Thursday reduced that suspension to 10 games.

There was speculation that Kerdiles, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound left wing, could leave Wisconsin and head to the WHL's Kelowna Rockets where he could play immediately. Kelowna owns his WHL rights.

But the 18-year-old apparently has been very clear about going the college route. David McNab, senior vice president of hockey operations for the Ducks, told Wisconsin-based media outlets over the weekend that Kerdiles is committed to remaining with the Badgers.

The NCAA reduced the suspension of Ducks second-round pick and Wisconsin freshman Nicolas Kerdiles to 10 games on Friday after the school appealed to overturn an original season-long ban, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Kerdiles was originally suspended for the 2012-13 season as a result of unspecified violations regarding his amateur status. Reports centered around the relationship between the Irvine resident and his advisors at Pulver Sports.

Kerdiles sat out the Badgers' two season-opening contests against Northern Michigan so he will have eight more games in which to serve. He'll be eligible to play on Nov. 30 against the University of Denver.

The winger has long wanted to go the college route in his development but it isn't known yet if Kerdiles will remain at Wisconsin. An option is the Western Hockey League, whether the Kelowna Rockets hold his rights. It is believed that the Ducks will support whichever decision he makes.

According to reports on Yahoo! Sports Canada and other media outlets that cover college hockey, Kerdiles could not play in the Badgers' season-opening exhibition game against the U.S. national under-18 team due to an unspecified issue. Now the NCAA has taken the next step.

The issue at hand, according to reports, is Kerdiles' relationship with advisors from Pulver Sports. Ian Pulver runs the agency and some of its top clients include Boston's Tyler Seguin, Winnipeg's Olli Jokinen, Calgary's Michael Cammalleri and Edmonton's Nail Yakupov, last year's No. 1 overall selection.

Ducks prospects John Gibson, Nicolas Kerdiles and Andy Welinski survived the first cut down as Team USA trimmed its national junior evaluation camp roster down to 34 players in preparation for upcoming games against Finland and Sweden.

Gibson, Kerdiles and Welinski are among those that are attempting to make their way onto the U.S. national team squad for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship that'll take place Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Ufa, Russia.

Gibson, the Ducks' second-round pick in 2011, was the backup goaltender on the 2012 U.S. national junior squad and is one of three returning members that are on the current roster.

Kerdiles, who was born in Texas and is from Irvine, was a second-round pick of the Ducks in June while Welinski was a third-round selection in 2011. Welinski was named the United States Hockey League's top defenseman in helping the Green Bay Gamblers to the Clark Cup title.

The final world junior roster for Team USA will be set after a pre-tournament camp held Dec. 19-23 in Helsinki. U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer and current Minnesota high school hockey coach Phil Housley is the American bench boss.

The Ducks selected Danish goaltender Frederik Andersen in the third round. A 6-foot-4 butterfly-style netminder, the 22-year-old Andersen (pictured at right) posted a 1.67 goals-against average, seven shutouts and a .941 save percentage for Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League.

In the fourth round, the Ducks went for 19-year-old center and Quebec native Kevin Roy of the United States Hockey League. Roy, who is committed to Brown, was the USHL player of the year in 2011-12 as he led the league with 54 goals and 104 points for the Lincoln Stars.

The Ducks then focused on the blue line with their remaining four picks. Their second pick of the fourth round went to drafting 19-year-old Andrew O'Brien, who had eight goals, 21 assists and 95 penalty minutes with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Nicolas Kerdiles saw the Ducks come up on the draft board and felt a rush of excitement build inside. So were his family members beside him.

"The Ducks came up after Toronto and we all looked at each other and said this could be it hopefully," Kerdiles said. "They called my name. I had a big smile on my face and kissed my sisters and my parents. It was amazing feeling."

The Ducks selected the Irvine resident with their pick in the second round and the 36th selection overall as the second day of the NHL draft began Saturday at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center.

Kerdiles, 18, was born in Texas and lived in France as a toddler but moved to Southern California at age 6 and played for the LA Select youth hockey program out of the Glacial Gardens ice rink in Lakewood.

Speaking by phone from the draft floor, Kerdiles said he saw the Ducks coming up on the board and "had a feeling that could be where I land."